Rate Matching Methods for LDPC Codes

ABSTRACT

A method of producing a set of coded bits from a set of information bits for transmission between a first node (110, 115) and a second node (110, 115) in a wireless communications system (100), the method comprises generating (904) a codeword vector by encoding the set of information bits with a low-density parity-check code, wherein the codeword vector is composed of systematic bits and parity bits. The method comprises performing (908) circular buffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector to produce the coded bits for transmission, wherein the circular buffer-based rate matching comprises puncturing a first plurality of systematic bits.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communicationsand, more particularly, to rate matching methods for low-densityparity-check (LDPC) codes.

BACKGROUND

LDPC codes are easily described through a parity-check matrix (PCM),where the rows and columns correspond to check nodes and variable nodes,respectively. Each “1” in the PCM corresponds to an edge between a checknode and a variable node.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example PCM 5 and the corresponding bipartitegraph 10. PCM 5 can be mapped to bipartite graph 10, which is composedof check nodes 15 and variable nodes 20, where the rows and columns ofPCM 5 correspond to check nodes 15 and variable nodes 20, respectively.Each entry h(i,j)=1 in PCM 5 corresponds to an edge between a check node15 and a variable node 20.

The code rate (R) of PCM 5 is defined as the number of information bitsk divided by the number of coded bits n, R=k/n, where n is the number ofcolumns in PCM 5 and k equals the number of columns minus the number ofrows of PCM 5.

An important class of LDPC codes are quasi-cyclic (QC) LDPC codes. ThePCM H of a QC-LDPC code is of size m×n, and can be represented by a basematrix H_base of size m_(b)=m/Z and n_(b)=n/Z, and a lifting factor Z.Each entry of H_base contains either the number −1 or one or morenumbers between 0 and Z−1. For example, let i and j be integers between0 and (m/Z−1), and 0 and (n/Z−1), respectively. Then the submatrixformed from the entries in rows Z*i to Z*(i+1)−1 and columns Z*j toZ*(j+1)−1 (assuming that indexing of rows and columns start from 0), aredetermined by the entry in row i and column j of H_base in the followingway.

If H_base(i,j)=−1, then the submatrix in the expanded binary matrix H isequal to the Z by Z zero matrix. The number −1 used to denote zerosubmatrices can be arbitrarily selected as long as it is not a numberbetween 0 and Z−1.

If H_base(i,j) contains one or more integers k₁, k₂, . . . k_(d) between0 and Z−1, the submatrix in the expanded binary matrix H is equal to thesum of the shifted identity matrices P_k₁+P_k₂+ . . . +P_k_(d), whereeach Z×Z submatrix P_k is obtained from the Z by Z identity matrix bycyclically shifting the columns to the right k times.

LDPC codes may be optimized for any block length and/or any code rate.In practical communication systems, however, it is not efficient to usedifferent PCMs for each alternative of block lengths and rates. Instead,rate matching is implemented through shortening, puncturing, and/orrepetition. As an example, LDPC codes for 802.11n are specified with 12mother codes (3 different block lengths and 4 different rates). PCMs forall other block lengths and code rates needed are specified through ratematching mechanisms (including shortening, puncturing, and/orrepetition) applied to one of the 12 mother codes.

Shortening is a technique to obtain codes of shorter length and lowerrate from a dedicated LDPC code by fixing the value of some informationbits to some known values (e.g., “0”) when encoding. The positions ofthe fixed bits are assumed to be available to both the encoder and thedecoder. For a systematic code, the shortened bits are then puncturedfrom the codeword before transmission. In the decoding process, thefixed bits are given infinite reliability. Shortening reduces the sizeof the information block from k to k_(tx).

Puncturing, on the other hand, is a technique where some coded bits arenot transmitted. This increases the code rate of the dedicated LDPCmother code and decreases code block size.

With repetition, some of the coded bits are repeated and transmittedmore than one time. In contrast to puncturing, repetition increases thecode block size.

Together, puncturing, shortening, and repetition change the number ofcoded bits from n to n_(tx). After rate matching is applied, the nativecode size (k, n) defined by the PCM is modified to an actual code size(k_(tx), n_(tx)). Hence, for a set of k_(tx) information bits, n_(tx)coded bits are produced for transmission. Correspondingly, the actualcode rate is calculated based on R_(tx)=k_(tx)/n_(tx).

Given a dedicated LDPC code of code size (k, n), a simple and effectiverate matching method is necessary for the actual code size (K_(tx),N_(tx)) needed for a particular transmission. Some LDPC codes puncturesome systematic bits by design to improve the code performance,unrelated to rate matching. It is not clear, however, how to perform therate matching as defined in 802.11n in this case.

SUMMARY

To address the foregoing problems with existing approaches, disclosed isa method of producing a set of coded bits from a set of information bitsfor transmission between a first node and a second node in a wirelesscommunications system. The method comprises generating a codeword vectorby encoding the set of information bits with a low-density parity-checkcode, wherein the codeword vector is composed of systematic bits andparity bits. The method comprises performing circular buffer-based ratematching on the generated codeword vector to produce the coded bits fortransmission, wherein the circular buffer-based rate matching comprisespuncturing a first plurality of systematic bits.

In certain embodiments, the low-density parity-check code may bespecified through a parity check matrix. The first plurality ofsystematic bits that are punctured may precede, in the codeword vector,a second plurality of systematic bits that are not punctured.

In certain embodiments, a plurality of redundancy versions may bedefined over the circular buffer such that coded bits for aretransmission are read from the circular buffer according to acorresponding redundancy version defined for the retransmission. Themethod may comprise performing circular buffer-based rate matching onthe generated codeword vector to produce coded bits for theretransmission, wherein the circular buffer-based rate matching for theretransmission comprises puncturing the first plurality of systematicbits. The first plurality of systematic bits punctured for theretransmission may include an even multiple of Z systematic bits, whereZ is a lifting factor of the parity check matrix.

In certain embodiments, puncturing the first plurality of systematicbits may comprise omitting to write the first plurality of systematicbits into a circular buffer. In certain embodiments, puncturing thefirst plurality of systematic bits may comprise skipping the firstplurality of systematic bits when reading the coded bits from a circularbuffer. In certain embodiments, the first plurality of puncturedsystematic bits may include an even multiple of Z systematic bits, whereZ is a lifting factor of the parity check matrix.

In certain embodiments, performing circular buffer-based rate matchingon the generated codeword vector may comprise reading the systematicbits and the parity bits out of a circular buffer to produce thetransmission vector for transmission over a wireless channel. Readingthe systematic bits and the parity bits out of the circular buffer toproduce the transmission vector for transmission over the wirelesschannel may comprise, if a number of bits of the transmission vector islarger than the total number of bits in the circular buffer, repeatingone or more bits in the circular buffer by wrapping around.

In certain embodiments, generating the codeword vector by encoding theset of information bits may comprise attaching dummy bits to the set ofinformation bits, the dummy bits comprising bits of known value, toproduce an information vector, and encoding the information vector. Theattached dummy bits may comprise a second plurality of systematic bitsthat is separate from the punctured first plurality of systematic bits.In certain embodiments, the method may comprise puncturing the attacheddummy bits. In certain embodiments, puncturing the attached dummy bitsmay comprise omitting to write the attached dummy bits into the circularbuffer. In certain embodiments, puncturing the attached dummy bits maycomprise skipping the attached dummy bits when reading the coded bitsfrom the circular buffer.

In certain embodiments, a subset of the systematic bits may be omittedfrom being written into the circular buffer. In certain embodiments, asubset of the parity bits may be omitted from being written into thecircular buffer.

In certain embodiments, the method may comprise puncturing a subset ofthe systematic bits written into the circular buffer in a firsttransmission over the wireless channel. The method may compriseincluding the subset of the systematic bits that were punctured in aretransmission over the wireless channel.

In certain embodiments, the method may comprise puncturing bitscolumn-wise such that bits are punctured evenly from each of a pluralityof rows and a weight distribution of the parity check matrix ismaintained in the circular buffer. The punctured bits may be systematicbits other than the first plurality of systematic bits. The systematicbits and the parity bits may be read out so that a channel interleaveris implemented as part of performing circular buffer-based rate matchingon the generated codeword vector. In certain embodiments, the puncturedbits may have a higher column weight than non-punctured bits. In certainembodiments, the systematic bits and the parity bits may be read outsuch that no channel interleaving effect is implemented.

In certain embodiments, performing circular buffer-based rate matchingon the generated codeword vector may comprise writing at least a portionof the systematic bits and the parity bits as defined by the paritycheck matrix into a rectangular circular buffer, the rectangularcircular buffer comprising one or more rows and one or more columns.

In certain embodiments, the wireless communications system may comprisea new radio system.

Also disclosed is a first node for producing a set of coded bits from aset of information bits for transmission to a second node in a wirelesscommunications system. The first node comprises processing circuitry.The processing circuitry is configured to generate a codeword vector byencoding the set of information bits with a low-density parity-checkcode, wherein the codeword vector is composed of systematic bits andparity bits. The processing circuitry is configured to perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector to producethe coded bits for transmission, wherein the circular buffer-based ratematching comprises puncturing a first plurality of systematic bits.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may provide one or moretechnical advantages. For example, in certain embodiments the circularbuffer-based rate matching methods may be designed such that anarbitrary (K_(tx), N_(tx)) can be provided using a single procedure. Asanother example, in certain embodiments there may be no need to define aseparate procedure for each of the shortening, puncturing, andrepetition. Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skillin the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of therecited advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and theirfeatures and advantages, reference is now made to the followingdescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example PCM and the corresponding bipartite graph;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a network, inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the systematic bits and paritybits are read out column-wise, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the systematic bits and paritybits are read out row-wise, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which, when the end of the circularbuffer is reached, it wraps around to the systematic bits that wereskipped in a first transmission, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the circular buffer utilizes asubset of coded bits as defined by the PCM, so that the code rate usedfor actual transmission is higher than a code rate R of the PCM, inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which shortening is also implemented aspart of the rate matching procedure, in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example in which shortening is applied first tothose systematic bits that are skipped, and to non-skipped bits if thenumber of shortened bits is larger than the number of skipped bits, inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method in a first node, in accordance withcertain embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a block schematic of an exemplary wireless device, inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a block schematic of an exemplary network node, in accordancewith certain embodiments;

FIG. 12 is a block schematic of an exemplary radio network controller orcore network node, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 13 is a block schematic of an exemplary wireless device, inaccordance with certain embodiments; and

FIG. 14 is a block schematic of an exemplary network node, in accordancewith certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, given a dedicated LDPC code of code size (k, n), asimple and effective rate matching method is necessary for the actualcode size (K_(tx), N_(tx)) needed for a particular transmission. SomeLDPC codes puncture some systematic bits by design to improve the codeperformance, unrelated to rate matching. It is not clear, however, howto perform the rate matching, for example as defined in 802.11n, in thiscase. The present disclosure contemplates various embodiments that mayprovide a simple and effective rate matching method for LDPC codes,where shortening, puncturing and/or repetition is applied.

In certain embodiments, rate matching through shortening and puncturingmay be applied to a mother code with as high code rate as possible. Ifthe number of parity bits specified by the mother code is about the sameas the number of parity bits needed for the wanted code, rate-matchingmay be mainly achieved by shortening instead of puncturing, with lessperformance loss as the result.

According to one example embodiment, a method of producing a set ofcoded bits from a set of information bits for transmission between afirst node and a second node in a wireless communications system isdisclosed. The first node generates a codeword vector by encoding theset of information bits with an LDPC code, wherein the codeword vectoris composed of systematic bits and parity bits. The first node performscircular buffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector toproduce the coded bits for transmission, wherein the circularbuffer-based rate matching comprises puncturing a first plurality ofsystematic bits. In certain embodiments, the LDPC code may be specifiedthrough a PCM. The first plurality of systematic bits that are puncturedmay precede, in the codeword vector, a second plurality of systematicbits that are not punctured.

In certain embodiments, a plurality of redundancy versions may bedefined over the circular buffer such that coded bits for aretransmission are read from the circular buffer according to acorresponding redundancy version defined for the retransmission. Thefirst node may perform circular buffer-based rate matching on thegenerated codeword vector to produce coded bits for the retransmission,wherein the circular buffer-based rate matching for the retransmissioncomprises puncturing the first plurality of systematic bits. The firstplurality of systematic bits punctured for the retransmission mayinclude an even multiple of Z systematic bits, where Z is a liftingfactor of the parity check matrix.

In certain embodiments, the first node may puncture the first pluralityof systematic bits by omitting to write the first plurality ofsystematic bits into a circular buffer. In certain embodiments, thefirst node may puncture the first plurality of systematic bits byskipping the first plurality of systematic bits when reading the codedbits from a circular buffer.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may provide one or moretechnical advantages. For example, in certain embodiments the circularbuffer-based rate matching methods may be designed such that anarbitrary (K_(tx), N_(tx)) can be provided using a single procedure. Asanother example, in certain embodiments there may be no need to define aseparate procedure for each of the shortening, puncturing, andrepetition. Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skillin the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of therecited advantages.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a network 100,in accordance with certain embodiments. Network 100 includes one or moreUE(s) 110 (which may be interchangeably referred to as wireless devices110) and one or more network node(s) 115. UEs 110 may communicate withnetwork nodes 115 over a wireless interface. For example, a UE 110 maytransmit wireless signals to one or more of network nodes 115, and/orreceive wireless signals from one or more of network nodes 115. Thewireless signals may contain voice traffic, data traffic, controlsignals, and/or any other suitable information. In some embodiments, anarea of wireless signal coverage associated with a network node 115 maybe referred to as a cell. In some embodiments, UEs 110 may havedevice-to-device (D2D) capability. Thus, UEs 110 may be able to receivesignals from and/or transmit signals directly to another UE.

In certain embodiments, network nodes 115 may interface with a radionetwork controller. The radio network controller may control networknodes 115 and may provide certain radio resource management functions,mobility management functions, and/or other suitable functions. Incertain embodiments, the functions of the radio network controller maybe included in network node 115. The radio network controller mayinterface with a core network node. In certain embodiments, the radionetwork controller may interface with the core network node via aninterconnecting network. The interconnecting network may refer to anyinterconnecting system capable of transmitting audio, video, signals,data, messages, or any combination of the preceding. The interconnectingnetwork may include all or a portion of a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN), a public or private data network, a local area network(LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), alocal, regional, or global communication or computer network such as theInternet, a wireline or wireless network, an enterprise intranet, or anyother suitable communication link, including combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the core network node may manage the establishmentof communication sessions and various other functionalities for UEs 110.UEs 110 may exchange certain signals with the core network node usingthe non-access stratum (NAS) layer. In NAS signaling, signals betweenUEs 110 and the core network node may be transparently passed throughthe radio access network (RAN). In certain embodiments, network nodes115 may interface with one or more network nodes over an internodeinterface, such as, for example, an X2 interface.

As described above, example embodiments of network 100 may include oneor more wireless devices 110, and one or more different types of networknodes capable of communicating (directly or indirectly) with wirelessdevices 110.

In some embodiments, the non-limiting term UE is used. UEs 110 describedherein can be any type of wireless device capable of communicating withnetwork nodes 115 or another UE over radio signals. UE 110 may also be aradio communication device, target device, D2D UE,machine-type-communication UE or UE capable of machine to machinecommunication (M2M), low-cost and/or low-complexity UE, a sensorequipped with UE, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embeddedequipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, CustomerPremises Equipment (CPE), etc. UE 110 may operate under either normalcoverage or enhanced coverage with respect to its serving cell. Theenhanced coverage may be interchangeably referred to as extendedcoverage. UE 110 may also operate in a plurality of coverage levels(e.g., normal coverage, enhanced coverage level 1, enhanced coveragelevel 2, enhanced coverage level 3 and so on). In some cases, UE 110 mayalso operate in out-of-coverage scenarios.

Also, in some embodiments generic terminology, “network node” is used.It can be any kind of network node, which may comprise a base station(BS), radio base station, Node B, base station (BS), multi-standardradio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, evolved Node B (eNB), gNB,network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base stationcontroller (BSC), relay node, relay donor node controlling relay, basetransceiver station (BTS), access point (AP), radio access point,transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), RemoteRadio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS),Multi-cell/multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), core network node (e.g.,Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.),Operations and Management (O&M), Operations Support System (OSS),Self-Organizing Network (SON), positioning node (e.g., Evolved ServingMobile Location Center (E-SMLC)), Minimization of Drive Test (MDT), orany other suitable network node.

In certain embodiments, generic terminology “node” is used. It can beany kind of UE or network node, such as UE 110 or network node 115described above.

The terminology such as network node and UE should be considerednon-limiting and does in particular not imply a certain hierarchicalrelation between the two. In general, “network node” could be consideredas device 1 (or a first node) and “UE” device 2 (or a second node), andthese two devices communicate with each other over some radio channel.

Example embodiments of UE 110, network nodes 115, and other networknodes (such as radio network controller or core network node) aredescribed in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 10-14.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates a particular arrangement of network 100, thepresent disclosure contemplates that the various embodiments describedherein may be applied to a variety of networks having any suitableconfiguration. For example, network 100 may include any suitable numberof UEs 110 and network nodes 115, as well as any additional elementssuitable to support communication between UEs or between a UE andanother communication device (such as a landline telephone).Furthermore, although certain embodiments may be described asimplemented in a New Radio (NR) network, the embodiments may beimplemented in any appropriate type of telecommunication systemsupporting any suitable communication standards (including 5G standards)and using any suitable components, and are applicable to any radioaccess technology (RAT) or multi-RAT systems in which a UE receivesand/or transmits signals (e.g., data). For example, the variousembodiments described herein may be applicable to NR, Long TermEvolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, 5G, UMTS, HSPA, GSM, cdma2000, WCDMA,WiMax, UMB, WiFi, 802.11n, another suitable radio access technology, orany suitable combination of one or more radio access technologies.Although certain embodiments may be described in the context of wirelesstransmissions in the downlink (DL), the present disclosure contemplatesthat the various embodiments are equally applicable in the uplink (UL).

As described above, given a dedicated LDPC code of code size (k, n), asimple and effective rate matching method is necessary for the actualcode size (K_(tx), N_(tx)) needed for a particular transmission (e.g.,between a first node and a second node in a wireless communicationssystem, such as a NR system). In certain embodiments, an effective ratematching method for LDPC codes is disclosed, where shortening,puncturing and/or repetition is applied.

In certain embodiments, a first node (e.g., one of network nodes 115described above) produces a set of coded bits from a set of informationbits for transmission to a second node (e.g., one of UEs 110 describedabove) in a wireless communications system. In certain embodiments, thewireless communications system may be a NR system. The set ofinformation bits may be associated with a transmission between the firstnode and the second node in the wireless communications system. Notethat although certain embodiments may be described using one of networknodes 115 as the first node and one of UEs 110 as the second node, thisis for purposes of example only and the various embodiments describedherein are not limited to such an example. Rather, the presentdisclosure contemplates that the first node and the second node may beany suitable network entities.

In certain embodiments, the first node generates an information vectorfrom a set of information bits. To illustrate, consider the followingexample. Assume for a set of km information bits the encoding of theLDPC code may be performed using the following procedure, where thequasi-cyclic parity check matrix H is composed of (n-k) rows and ncolumns, m_(b)=m/Z and n_(b)=n/Z. In certain embodiments, generating aninformation vector from the set of information bits may compriseattaching (k−k_(tx)) dummy bits to the set of k_(tx) information bits tomake an information vector U of k bits. The dummy bits are usuallyassigned a known value of “0”. The attachment of dummy bits toinformation bits may also be referred to as shortening of the code. Incertain embodiments, attaching dummy bits to the set of information bitsmay comprise copying the set of information bits into a longer vector oflength “information bits+dummy bits.” In certain embodiments, the firstnode may puncture the attached dummy bits (e.g., by not writing theattached dummy bits into the circular buffer or by not reading theattached dummy bits from the circular buffer).

The first node generates a codeword vector by encoding the set ofinformation bits with an LDPC code. The codeword vector may be composedof systematic bits and parity bits. The LDPC codes considered here arequasi-cyclic protograph-based LDPC codes. Quasi-cyclic PCMs arepartitioned into square sub-blocks (sub-matrices) of size Z×Z. Thesesubmatrices are either cyclic-permutations of the identity matrix ornull submatrices. A cyclic-permutation matrix Pi is obtained from theZ×Z identity matrix by cyclically shifting the columns to the right by ielements. The matrix P0 is the Z×Z identity matrix. The LDPC code may bespecified through a PCM. Quasi-cyclic LDPC codes are convenientlydescribed through a base matrix, which is a matrix where each integer idenotes the cyclic-permutation matrix Pi. The PCM is obtained from abase matrix by selecting a lifting size Z and replacing each entry inthe base matrix with the corresponding Z×Z matrix.

Continuing the example above, in certain embodiments the first nodeencodes information vector U with the PCM H. The encoding generates acodeword vector C of n bits. Typically, systematic encoding is used sothat the codeword vector C is composed of two sets of bits: [systematicbits; parity bits]. In this example, the length-k vector of systematicbits is equal to the information vector U. The length-k, k=k_(b)*Z,systematic bits are k_(b) groups of Z bits, [u₀, u₁, . . . u_(z−1),|u_(z), u_(z+1), . . . u_(2z-1),| . . . , u_(—()k_(b-1)*Z),u_(—()k_(b-1)*Z+1), . . . u_(—()k_(b*Z-1))]. The length-(n−k),m=n−k=m_(b)*Z, parity bits are m_(b) groups of Z bits, [p₀, p₁, . . .p_(z−1),| p_(z), p_(z+1), . . . p_(2z-1),| . . . , p_(m_(b-1)*Z),p_(—()m_(b-1)*Z+1), . . . p_(—()m_(b*Z-1))]. The property of the LDPCcode dictates that the codeword vector C multiplied by the transpose ofPCM H has to produce a vector of zeros (i.e., H*C^(T)=0).

The first node performs circular buffer-based rate matching on thegenerated codeword vector to produce the coded bits for transmission.The circular buffer-based rate matching may comprise puncturing a firstplurality of systematic bits (e.g., when producing a transmission vectorfrom the codeword vector). Continuing the example above, in certainembodiments the first node performs rate-matching on the codeword vectorC, removes the (k−k_(tx)) dummy bits, and produces a vector of lengthn_(tx) for transmission over the wireless channel.

In the following description of FIGS. 3-8, it is assumed that at least aportion of the [systematic bits, parity bits] as defined by the PCM arewritten into a circular buffer. In the examples of FIGS. 3-8, the“circular buffer” used for rate matching is presented in a rectangularformat. It should be understood, however, that wrapping around whenreaching the end of the rectangle means that the buffer is circular.Furthermore, note that presentation of the circular buffer inrectangular format is for purposes of example only, and the variousembodiments described herein are not limited to such an example.

In the examples of FIGS. 3-8, those [systematic bits, parity bits] asdefined by the PCM that are written into the rectangular circular bufferare written in row-wise, starting from the upper left corner, ending atbottom right corner. As one example, after writing the bits into therectangle, it can be used for generating a codeword of arbitrary blocklength n_(tx). In such a scenario, n_(tx) bits are read out from therectangle. As another example, after writing the bits into therectangle, it can be used for generating retransmissions to be usedin/for incremental redundancy. In such a scenario, for the firsttransmission, some bits are read out. In case of a second transmission,an additional number of bits are read out. While the read out of eachretransmission may start anywhere in the rectangular-shaped circularbuffer, preferably the read-out starts close to where the read out forthe previous transmission ended. This can be generalized to more thanone retransmission.

FIGS. 3-8 below illustrate various example embodiments of how the[systematic bits, parity bits] are read out of the rectangular circularbuffer to produce the n_(tx) bits for transmission (e.g., to a secondnode). In certain embodiments, the first node may count n_(tx) bits fromthe rectangle and transmit them. In certain embodiments, one or morepredefined rules may influence how the bits are read out of therectangular circular buffer to produce the n_(tx) bits for transmission.As one example, if n_(tx) is smaller than the total number of bits inthe circular buffer, then the bits left behind in the rectangle arepunctured (i.e., not transmitted). As another example, if n_(tx) islarger than the total number of bits in the circular buffer, then theread-out procedure wraps around and some bits in the circular buffer arerepeated, leading to the repetition effect of rate matching. As stillanother example, if the k_(tx) actual information bits are attached with(k−k_(tx)) bits of known value before encoding with the PCM, thenshortening is achieved. In some cases, the (k−k_(tx)) shortening bitscan be prepended in front of the k_(tx) actual information bits. In somecases, the (k−k_(tx)) shortening bits can be attached to the end of thek_(tx) actual information bits. The shortened bits are known and carryno information, hence they should be removed before transmission.

As yet another example, in cases of a PCM where some of the informationbits are punctured by design, these information bits can be left out ofthe rectangular circular buffer. In FIGS. 3-8 below, these informationbits are referred to as skipped bits. As another example, in the case ofa PCM where some of the information bits are punctured by design,combined with shortening, the punctured bits can either be part of theshortened bits, or not be part of the shortened bits.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which the systematic bits and paritybits are read out column-wise, so that a channel interleaver is alsoimplemented as part of the rate matching procedure, in accordance withcertain embodiments. FIG. 3 illustrates a rectangular circular buffer300 with Z columns 305 and n_(b) rows 310. Within rectangular circularbuffer 300, there are a plurality of systematic bits 315 and a pluralityof parity bits 320. The plurality of systematic bits 315 includessystematic bits that are not skipped 325 and a plurality of systematicbits that are skipped (i.e., punctured) 330. In the example of FIG. 3,bits are read out of rectangular circular buffer 300 beginning atstarting point 335. Arrow 340 illustrates the wrapping around thatoccurs when the end of rectangular circular buffer 300 is reached.

As shown in the example of FIG. 3, since there are Z*n_(b) columns (orcodeword bits) in H, one way is to form a (n_(b) rows*Z columns)rectangle 300, and puncture bits column-wise. The effect is to puncturebits evenly from each of the size-Z rows, and maintain roughly the sameweight-distribution as the original H. This has the effect of puncturingone bit from each of the n_(b) set first, where each set has Z bits. Incertain embodiments, the plurality of systematic bits that are skipped(i.e., punctured) 330 include an even multiple of Z systematic bits,where Z is a lifting factor of the PCM.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, some of systematic bits 315 can be punctured(i.e., skipped systematic bits 330) to achieve better performance thanpuncturing parity bits 320. The systematic bits punctured in the 1^(st)transmission, or for a code of higher rate, are usually mapped tohigh-column weight. The starting location 335 (x,y) can be chosen suchthat the appropriate group of systematic bits are skipped (i.e.,punctured), while keeping the decoding performance as good as possible.

Although FIG. 3 illustrates skipped systematic bits 330 as included inrectangular circular buffer 300, this is only one non-limiting example.In certain embodiments, for example, skipped systematic bits 330 may notbe written into circular buffer 300. Since the code is designed with theknowledge that the first systematic bits will be punctured, in somecases these bits should not be included at all in circular buffer 300.It may be more advantageous to repeat any of the already transmittedbits than transmitting the first systematic bits designed to bepunctured. This is a consequence of the very high variable node degreeof the punctured systematic bits 330, which implies that thesenodes/bits have high connectivity with the rest of the graph and theirvalue can often be deduced from the value of other bits.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the systematic bits and paritybits are read out row-wise, in accordance with certain embodiments. FIG.4 illustrates a rectangular circular buffer 400 with Z columns 405 andn_(b) rows 410. Within rectangular circular buffer 400, there are aplurality of systematic bits 415 and a plurality of parity bits 420. Theplurality of systematic bits 415 includes systematic bits that are notskipped 425 and a plurality of systematic bits that are skipped 430. Inthe example of FIG. 4, bits are read out of rectangular circular buffer400 beginning at starting point 435. Arrow 440 illustrates the wrappingaround that occurs when the end of rectangular circular buffer 400 isreached.

As noted above, in the example shown in FIG. 4 the systematic bits 425and parity bits 420 are read out row-wise. Thus, no channel interleavingeffect is implemented (in contrast to the example of FIG. 3 describedabove).

Additionally, since puncturing columns of high weight has less impact toperformance, the puncturing pattern can be arranged so that more bits ofhigh column weight are punctured than bits of low column weight. Itwould be possible to search for which parity bits 420 to puncture thatgives the least impact on threshold. The nodes in the protograph, whichcorresponds to the n_(b) rows, can then be reordered so that puncturingfrom the end of rectangular circular buffer 400 is optimal.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which, when the end of the circularbuffer is reached, it wraps around to the systematic bits that wereskipped in a first transmission, in accordance with certain embodiments.FIG. 5 illustrates a rectangular circular buffer 500 with Z columns 505and n_(b) rows 510. Within rectangular circular buffer 500, there are aplurality of systematic bits 515 and a plurality of parity bits 520. Theplurality of systematic bits 515 includes systematic bits that are notskipped in a first transmission 525 and a plurality of systematic bitsthat are skipped in the first transmission 530. In the example of FIG.5, bits are read out of rectangular circular buffer 500 beginning atstarting point 535. Arrow 540 illustrates the wrapping around thatoccurs when the end of rectangular circular buffer 500 is reached.

As described above, FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which, when the endof circular buffer 500 is reached, it wraps around to the systematicbits that were skipped in the first transmission 530 (as shown by arrow540). In the example embodiment of FIG. 5, systematic bits 530 that wereskipped in the first transmission, or for the generation of a code wordof higher rate, are included in a retransmission, or when generating alow rate codeword.

In certain embodiments, the bits may be read from rectangular circularbuffer 500 in a horizontal (i.e., row-wise fashion), beginning atstarting point 535.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the circular buffer utilizes asubset of coded bits as defined by the PCM, so that the code rate usedfor actual transmission is higher than code rate R of the PCM, inaccordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 6 illustrates a rectangularcircular buffer 600 with Z columns 605, n_(b) rows 610 and n_(b,1) rows615. As shown in FIG. 6, there are a plurality of systematic bits 620and a plurality of parity bits 625. The plurality of systematic bits 620includes systematic bits that are not skipped 630 and a plurality ofsystematic bits that are skipped 635. The plurality of parity bits 625includes parity bits that are punctured from the mother code 640 andparity bits that are not punctured from the mother code 645. In theexample of FIG. 6, bits are read out of rectangular circular buffer 600beginning at starting point 650. Arrow 655 illustrates the wrappingaround that occurs when the end of rectangular circular buffer 600 isreached.

In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 6, some of the parity bits 625generated from the PCM are not put in the rectangle and transmitted(i.e., parity bits that are punctured from the mother code 640), butretransmissions and lower code rates are generated by reading from thetop left of the rectangle again (i.e., at starting point 650). This canbe useful, for example, if lower complexity decoding is preferred,because only a submatrix of the PCM is required to decode thetransmission in this case.

In certain embodiments, the bits may be read from rectangular circularbuffer 600 in a vertical (i.e., column-wise fashion), beginning atstarting point 650.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which shortening is also implemented aspart of the rate matching procedure, in accordance with certainembodiments. FIG. 7 illustrates a rectangular circular buffer 700 with Zcolumns 705 and n_(b) rows 710. Within rectangular circular buffer 700,there are a plurality of systematic bits 715 and a plurality of paritybits 720. The plurality of systematic bits 715 includes a plurality ofsystematic bits that are skipped 725, a plurality of systematic bitsthat are not skipped 730, and a plurality of shortened bits 735. In theexample of FIG. 7, bits are read out of rectangular circular buffer 700beginning at starting point 740. Arrow 745 illustrates the wrappingaround that occurs when the end of rectangular circular buffer 700 isreached.

As described above, in the example embodiment of FIG. 7 shortening isalso implemented as part of the rate matching procedure. In the exampleof FIG. 7, shortened bits 735 are first chosen among the systematic bitsthat are not skipped 730. In some cases, if the number of shortened bitsis larger than the number of systematic bits that are not skipped 730,some of the skipped systematic bits 725 will be shortened as well. Theshortened bits are set to a known value, and skipped when reading outthe codeword to be transmitted (as they are known at the receiver). Thereceiver (e.g., a second node) inserts infinite reliability values forthe shortened bits and calculates the reliability for the rest of thebits using a similar rectangle. According to an example alternativeembodiment, the bits may be read in a vertical fashion, again skippingthe shortened bits 735 and the bits that are designed to be skipped 725.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example in which shortening is applied first tothose systematic bits that are skipped, and only to non-skipped bits ifthe number of shortened bits is larger than the number of skipped bits,in accordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 8 illustrates a rectangularcircular buffer 800 with Z columns 805 and n_(b) rows 810. Withinrectangular circular buffer 800, there are a plurality of systematicbits 815 and a plurality of parity bits 820. The plurality of systematicbits 815 includes a plurality of shortened bits 825, a plurality ofsystematic bits that are skipped 830, and a plurality of systematic bitsthat are not skipped 835. In the example of FIG. 8, bits are read out ofrectangular circular buffer 800 beginning at starting point 840. Arrow845 illustrates the wrapping around that occurs when the end ofrectangular circular buffer 800 is reached.

In the example embodiment of FIG. 8, the shortened information bits 825are first chosen from the systematic bits that are skipped 830, and onlyif more bits need to be shortened than the number of skipped bits, theother systematic bits 835 are shortened. In certain embodiments, thebits may be read in a vertical fashion.

In certain embodiments, the various embodiments described above withrespect to FIGS. 3-8 can be further combined. The present disclosurecontemplates that the various example embodiments described above may becombined in any suitable manner. For example, the example embodimentsdescribed above in relation to FIGS. 7 and 8 can be combined with theexample embodiment of FIG. 5 so that the systematic bits that areskipped at first can be included in codes of lower rate, or inretransmissions. Note, however, that shortened bits are not included ina transmission as they are known to the receiver.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method 900 in a first node, in accordancewith certain embodiments. More particularly, method 900 is a method ofproducing a set of coded bits from a set of information bits fortransmission between a first node and a second node in a wirelesscommunications system. Method 900 begins at step 904, where the firstnode generates a codeword vector by encoding the set of information bitswith a low-density parity-check code, wherein the codeword vector iscomposed of systematic bits and parity bits. In certain embodiments, theLDPC code may be specified through a PCM. The wireless communicationssystem may comprise a NR system.

In certain embodiments, generating the codeword vector by encoding theset of information bits may comprise attaching dummy bits to the set ofinformation bits, the dummy bits comprising bits of known value, toproduce an information vector, and encoding the information vector. Theattached dummy bits may comprise a second plurality of systematic bitsthat is separate from the punctured first plurality of systematic bits.In certain embodiments, the method may comprise puncturing the attacheddummy bits. Puncturing the attached dummy bits may comprise omitting towrite the attached dummy bits into the circular buffer. Puncturing theattached dummy bits may comprise skipping the attached dummy bits whenreading the coded bits from the circular buffer.

At step 908, the first node performs circular buffer-based rate matchingon the generated codeword vector to produce the coded bits fortransmission, wherein the circular buffer-based rate matching comprisespuncturing a first plurality of systematic bits. In certain embodiments,the first plurality of systematic bits that are punctured may precede,in the codeword vector, a second plurality of systematic bits that arenot punctured.

In certain embodiments, a plurality of redundancy versions may bedefined over the circular buffer such that coded bits for aretransmission are read from the circular buffer according to acorresponding redundancy version defined for the retransmission. Method900 may comprise performing circular buffer-based rate matching on thegenerated codeword vector to produce coded bits for the retransmission,wherein the circular buffer-based rate matching for the retransmissioncomprises puncturing the first plurality of systematic bits. The firstplurality of systematic bits punctured for the retransmission mayinclude an even multiple of Z systematic bits, where Z is a liftingfactor of the parity check matrix.

In certain embodiments, puncturing the first plurality of systematicbits may comprise omitting to write the first plurality of systematicbits into a circular buffer. In certain embodiments, puncturing thefirst plurality of systematic bits may comprise skipping the firstplurality of systematic bits when reading the coded bits from a circularbuffer. In certain embodiments, the first plurality of puncturedsystematic bits may include an even multiple of Z systematic bits, whereZ is a lifting factor of the parity check matrix.

In certain embodiments, performing circular buffer-based rate matchingon the generated codeword vector may comprise reading the systematicbits and the parity bits out of a circular buffer to produce thetransmission vector for transmission over a wireless channel. Readingthe systematic bits and the parity bits out of the circular buffer toproduce the transmission vector for transmission over the wirelesschannel may comprise, if a number of bits of the transmission vector islarger than the total number of bits in the circular buffer, repeatingone or more bits in the circular buffer by wrapping around.

In certain embodiments, a subset of the systematic bits may be omittedfrom being written into the circular buffer. In certain embodiments, asubset of the parity bits may be omitted from being written into thecircular buffer.

In certain embodiments, the method may comprise puncturing a subset ofthe systematic bits written into the circular buffer in a firsttransmission over the wireless channel. The method may compriseincluding the subset of the systematic bits that were punctured in aretransmission over the wireless channel.

In certain embodiments, the method may comprise puncturing bitscolumn-wise such that bits are punctured evenly from each of a pluralityof rows and a weight distribution of the parity check matrix ismaintained in the circular buffer. The punctured bits may be systematicbits other than the first plurality of systematic bits. The systematicbits and the parity bits may be read out so that a channel interleaveris implemented as part of performing circular buffer-based rate matchingon the generated codeword vector. In certain embodiments, the puncturedbits may have a higher column weight than non-punctured bits. In certainembodiments, the systematic bits and the parity bits may be read outsuch that no channel interleaving effect is implemented.

In certain embodiments, performing circular buffer-based rate matchingon the generated codeword vector may comprise writing at least a portionof the systematic bits and the parity bits as defined by the PCM into arectangular circular buffer, the rectangular circular buffer comprisingone or more rows and one or more columns.

FIG. 10 is a block schematic of an exemplary wireless device 110, inaccordance with certain embodiments. Wireless device 110 may refer toany type of wireless device communicating with a node and/or withanother wireless device in a cellular or mobile communication system.Examples of wireless device 110 include a mobile phone, a smart phone, aPDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a portable computer (e.g., laptop,tablet), a sensor, an actuator, a modem, a machine-type-communication(MTC) device/machine-to-machine (M2M) device, laptop embedded equipment(LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, a D2D capabledevice, or another device that can provide wireless communication. Awireless device 110 may also be referred to as UE, a station (STA), adevice, or a terminal in some embodiments. Wireless device 110 includestransceiver 1010, processing circuitry 1020, and memory 1030. In someembodiments, transceiver 1010 facilitates transmitting wireless signalsto and receiving wireless signals from network node 115 (e.g., viaantenna 1040), processing circuitry 1020 executes instructions toprovide some or all of the functionality described above as beingprovided by wireless device 110, and memory 1030 stores the instructionsexecuted by processing circuitry 1020.

Processing circuitry 1020 may include any suitable combination ofhardware and software implemented in one or more modules to executeinstructions and manipulate data to perform some or all of the describedfunctions of UE 110, such as the functions of wireless device 110described above in relation to FIGS. 1-9. In some embodiments,processing circuitry 1020 may include, for example, one or morecomputers, one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or moremicroprocessors, one or more applications, one or more applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs) and/or other logic.

Memory 1030 is generally operable to store instructions, such as acomputer program, software, an application including one or more oflogic, rules, algorithms, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructionscapable of being executed by processing circuitry 1020. Examples ofmemory 1030 include computer memory (for example, Random Access Memory(RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM)), mass storage media (for example, ahard disk), removable storage media (for example, a Compact Disk (CD) ora Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or or any other volatile ornon-volatile, non-transitory computer-readable and/orcomputer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/orinstructions that may be used by processing circuitry 1020.

Other embodiments of wireless device 110 may include additionalcomponents beyond those shown in FIG. 10 that may be responsible forproviding certain aspects of the wireless device's functionality,including any of the functionality described above and/or any additionalfunctionality (including any functionality necessary to support thesolution described above). As just one example, wireless device 110 mayinclude input devices and circuits, output devices, and one or moresynchronization units or circuits, which may be part of the processingcircuitry 1020. Input devices include mechanisms for entry of data intowireless device 110. For example, input devices may include inputmechanisms, such as a microphone, input elements, a display, etc. Outputdevices may include mechanisms for outputting data in audio, videoand/or hard copy format. For example, output devices may include aspeaker, a display, etc.

FIG. 11 is a block schematic of an exemplary network node 115, inaccordance with certain embodiments. Network node 115 may be any type ofradio network node or any network node that communicates with a UEand/or with another network node. Examples of network node 115 includean eNodeB, a gNB, a node B, a base station, a wireless access point(e.g., a Wi-Fi access point), a low power node, a base transceiverstation (BTS), relay, donor node controlling relay, transmission points,transmission nodes, remote RF unit (RRU), remote radio head (RRH),multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, nodes indistributed antenna system (DAS), O&M, OSS, SON, positioning node (e.g.,E-SMLC), MDT, or any other suitable network node. Network nodes 115 maybe deployed throughout network 100 as a homogenous deployment,heterogeneous deployment, or mixed deployment. A homogeneous deploymentmay generally describe a deployment made up of the same (or similar)type of network nodes 115 and/or similar coverage and cell sizes andinter-site distances. A heterogeneous deployment may generally describedeployments using a variety of types of network nodes 115 havingdifferent cell sizes, transmit powers, capacities, and inter-sitedistances. For example, a heterogeneous deployment may include aplurality of low-power nodes placed throughout a macro-cell layout.Mixed deployments may include a mix of homogenous portions andheterogeneous portions.

Network node 115 may include one or more of transceiver 1110, processingcircuitry 1120, memory 1130, and network interface 1140. In someembodiments, transceiver 1110 facilitates transmitting wireless signalsto and receiving wireless signals from wireless device 110 (e.g., viaantenna 1150), processing circuitry 1120 executes instructions toprovide some or all of the functionality described above as beingprovided by a network node 115, memory 1130 stores the instructionsexecuted by processing circuitry 1120, and network interface 1140communicates signals to backend network components, such as a gateway,switch, router, Internet, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), corenetwork nodes or radio network controllers 130, etc.

Processing circuitry 1120 may include any suitable combination ofhardware and software implemented in one or more modules to executeinstructions and manipulate data to perform some or all of the describedfunctions of network node 115, such as those described above in relationto FIGS. 1-9. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 1120 mayinclude, for example, one or more computers, one or more centralprocessing units (CPUs), one or more microprocessors, one or moreapplications, and/or other logic.

Memory 1130 is generally operable to store instructions, such as acomputer program, software, an application including one or more oflogic, rules, algorithms, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructionscapable of being executed by processing circuitry 1120. Examples ofmemory 1130 include computer memory (for example, Random Access Memory(RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM)), mass storage media (for example, ahard disk), removable storage media (for example, a Compact Disk (CD) ora Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or or any other volatile ornon-volatile, non-transitory computer-readable and/orcomputer-executable memory devices that store information.

In some embodiments, network interface 1140 is communicatively coupledto processing circuitry 1120 and may refer to any suitable deviceoperable to receive input for network node 115, send output from networknode 115, perform suitable processing of the input or output or both,communicate to other devices, or any combination of the preceding.Network interface 1140 may include appropriate hardware (e.g., port,modem, network interface card, etc.) and software, including protocolconversion and data processing capabilities, to communicate through anetwork.

Other embodiments of network node 115 may include additional componentsbeyond those shown in FIG. 11 that may be responsible for providingcertain aspects of the radio network node's functionality, including anyof the functionality described above and/or any additional functionality(including any functionality necessary to support the solutionsdescribed above). The various different types of network nodes mayinclude components having the same physical hardware but configured(e.g., via programming) to support different radio access technologies,or may represent partly or entirely different physical components.

FIG. 12 is a block schematic of an exemplary radio network controller orcore network node 130, in accordance with certain embodiments. Examplesof network nodes can include a mobile switching center (MSC), a servingGPRS support node (SGSN), a mobility management entity (MME), a radionetwork controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), and so on.The radio network controller or core network node 130 includesprocessing circuitry 1220, memory 1230, and network interface 1240. Insome embodiments, processing circuitry 1220 executes instructions toprovide some or all of the functionality described above as beingprovided by the network node, memory 1230 stores the instructionsexecuted by processing circuitry 1220, and network interface 1240communicates signals to any suitable node, such as a gateway, switch,router, Internet, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), networknodes 115, radio network controllers or core network nodes 130, etc.

Processing circuitry 1220 may include any suitable combination ofhardware and software implemented in one or more modules to executeinstructions and manipulate data to perform some or all of the describedfunctions of the radio network controller or core network node 130. Insome embodiments, processing circuitry 1220 may include, for example,one or more computers, one or more central processing units (CPUs), oneor more microprocessors, one or more applications, and/or other logic.

Memory 1230 is generally operable to store instructions, such as acomputer program, software, an application including one or more oflogic, rules, algorithms, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructionscapable of being executed by processing circuitry 1220. Examples ofmemory 1230 include computer memory (for example, Random Access Memory(RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM)), mass storage media (for example, ahard disk), removable storage media (for example, a Compact Disk (CD) ora Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or or any other volatile ornon-volatile, non-transitory computer-readable and/orcomputer-executable memory devices that store information.

In some embodiments, network interface 1240 is communicatively coupledto processing circuitry 1220 and may refer to any suitable deviceoperable to receive input for the network node, send output from thenetwork node, perform suitable processing of the input or output orboth, communicate to other devices, or any combination of the preceding.Network interface 1240 may include appropriate hardware (e.g., port,modem, network interface card, etc.) and software, including protocolconversion and data processing capabilities, to communicate through anetwork.

Other embodiments of the network node may include additional componentsbeyond those shown in FIG. 12 that may be responsible for providingcertain aspects of the network node's functionality, including any ofthe functionality described above and/or any additional functionality(including any functionality necessary to support the solution describedabove).

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary wireless device, inaccordance with certain embodiments. Wireless device 110 may include oneor more modules. For example, wireless device 110 may include adetermining module 1310, a communication module 1320, a receiving module1330, an input module 1340, a display module 1350; and any othersuitable modules. In some embodiments, one or more of determining module1310, communication module 1320, receiving module 1330, input module1340, display module 1350, or any other suitable module may beimplemented using one or more processors, such as processing circuitry1020 described above in relation to FIG. 10. In certain embodiments, thefunctions of two or more of the various modules may be combined into asingle module. Wireless device 110 may perform the rate matching methodsfor LDPC codes described above in relation to FIGS. 1-9.

Determining module 1310 may perform the processing functions of wirelessdevice 110. In certain embodiments, wireless device 110 may perform thefunctions of the first node described above in relation to FIGS. 1-9. Insuch a scenario, determining module 1310 may generate a codeword vectorby encoding the set of information bits with a low-density parity-checkcode, wherein the codeword vector is composed of systematic bits andparity bits. As part of generating the codeword vector by encoding theset of information bits, determining module 1310 may attach dummy bitsto the set of information bits, the dummy bits comprising bits of knownvalue, to produce an information vector, and encoding the informationvector. In certain embodiments, determining module 1310 may puncture theattached dummy bits. As part of puncturing the attached dummy bits,determining module 1310 may omit writing the attached dummy bits intothe circular buffer. As part of puncturing the attached dummy bits,determining module 1310 may skip the attached dummy bits when readingthe coded bits from the circular buffer.

As another example, determining module 1310 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector to producethe coded bits for transmission, wherein the circular buffer-based ratematching comprises puncturing a first plurality of systematic bits. Asanother example, determining module 1310 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector to producecoded bits for a retransmission, wherein the circular buffer-based ratematching for the retransmission comprises puncturing the first pluralityof systematic bits.

As another example, determining module 1310 may puncture the firstplurality of systematic bits by omitting to write the first plurality ofsystematic bits into a circular buffer. As another example, determiningmodule 1310 may puncture the first plurality of systematic bits byskipping the first plurality of systematic bits when reading the codedbits from a circular buffer.

As another example, determining module 1310 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector by readingthe systematic bits and the parity bits out of a circular buffer toproduce the transmission vector for transmission over a wirelesschannel. In reading the systematic bits and the parity bits out of thecircular buffer to produce the transmission vector for transmission overthe wireless channel, determining module 1310 may, if a number of bitsof the transmission vector is larger than the total number of bits inthe circular buffer, repeat one or more bits in the circular buffer bywrapping around.

As another example, determining module 1310 may puncture a subset of thesystematic bits written into the circular buffer in a first transmissionover the wireless channel, and include the subset of the systematic bitsthat were punctured in a retransmission over the wireless channel.Determining module 1310 may puncture bits column-wise such that bits arepunctured evenly from each of a plurality of rows and a weightdistribution of the parity check matrix is maintained in the circularbuffer.

As another example, determining module 1310 may read out the systematicbits and the parity bits so that a channel interleaver is implemented aspart of performing circular buffer-based rate matching on the generatedcodeword vector. As another example, determining module 1310 may readout the systematic bits and the parity bits such that no channelinterleaving effect is implemented.

As another example, determining module 1310 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector by writingat least a portion of the systematic bits and the parity bits as definedby the parity check matrix into a rectangular circular buffer, therectangular circular buffer comprising one or more rows and one or morecolumns.

Determining module 1310 may include or be included in one or moreprocessors, such as processing circuitry 1020 described above inrelation to FIG. 10. Determining module 1310 may include analog and/ordigital circuitry configured to perform any of the functions ofdetermining module 1310 and/or processing circuitry 1020 describedabove. The functions of determining module 1310 described above may, incertain embodiments, be performed in one or more distinct modules.

Communication module 1320 may perform the transmission functions ofwireless device 110. Communication module 1320 may include a transmitterand/or a transceiver, such as transceiver 1010 described above inrelation to FIG. 10. Communication module 1320 may include circuitryconfigured to wirelessly transmit messages and/or signals. In particularembodiments, communication module 1320 may receive messages and/orsignals for transmission from determining module 1310. In certainembodiments, the functions of communication module 1320 described abovemay be performed in one or more distinct modules.

Receiving module 1330 may perform the receiving functions of wirelessdevice 110. Receiving module 1330 may include a receiver and/or atransceiver. Receiving module 1330 may include a receiver and/or atransceiver, such as transceiver 1010 described above in relation toFIG. 10. Receiving module 1330 may include circuitry configured towirelessly receive messages and/or signals. In particular embodiments,receiving module 1330 may communicate received messages and/or signalsto determining module 1310. The functions of receiving module 1330described above may, in certain embodiments, be performed in one or moredistinct modules.

Input module 1340 may receive user input intended for wireless device110. For example, the input module may receive key presses, buttonpresses, touches, swipes, audio signals, video signals, and/or any otherappropriate signals. The input module may include one or more keys,buttons, levers, switches, touchscreens, microphones, and/or cameras.The input module may communicate received signals to determining module1310. The functions of input module 1340 described above may, in certainembodiments, be performed in one or more distinct modules.

Display module 1350 may present signals on a display of wireless device110. Display module 1350 may include the display and/or any appropriatecircuitry and hardware configured to present signals on the display.Display module 1350 may receive signals to present on the display fromdetermining module 1310. The functions of display module 1350 describedabove may, in certain embodiments, be performed in one or more distinctmodules.

Determining module 1310, communication module 1320, receiving module1330, input module 1340, and display module 1350 may include anysuitable configuration of hardware and/or software. Wireless device 110may include additional modules beyond those shown in FIG. 13 that may beresponsible for providing any suitable functionality, including any ofthe functionality described above and/or any additional functionality(including any functionality necessary to support the various solutionsdescribed herein).

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary network node 115,in accordance with certain embodiments. Network node 115 may include oneor more modules. For example, network node 115 may include determiningmodule 1410, communication module 1420, receiving module 1430, and anyother suitable modules. In some embodiments, one or more of determiningmodule 1410, communication module 1420, receiving module 1430, or anyother suitable module may be implemented using one or more processors,such as processing circuitry 1120 described above in relation to FIG.11. In certain embodiments, the functions of two or more of the variousmodules may be combined into a single module. Network node 115 mayperform the rate matching methods for LDPC codes described above withrespect to FIGS. 1-9.

Determining module 1410 may perform the processing functions of networknode 115. In certain embodiments, network node 115 may perform thefunctions of the first node described above in relation to FIGS. 1-9. Insuch a scenario, determining module 1410 may generate a codeword vectorby encoding the set of information bits with a low-density parity-checkcode, wherein the codeword vector is composed of systematic bits andparity bits. As part of generating the codeword vector by encoding theset of information bits, determining module 1410 may attach dummy bitsto the set of information bits, the dummy bits comprising bits of knownvalue, to produce an information vector, and encoding the informationvector. In certain embodiments, determining module 1410 may puncture theattached dummy bits. As part of puncturing the attached dummy bits,determining module 1410 may omit writing the attached dummy bits intothe circular buffer. As part of puncturing the attached dummy bits,determining module 1410 may skip the attached dummy bits when readingthe coded bits from the circular buffer.

As another example, determining module 1410 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector to producethe coded bits for transmission, wherein the circular buffer-based ratematching comprises puncturing a first plurality of systematic bits. Asanother example, determining module 1410 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector to producecoded bits for a retransmission, wherein the circular buffer-based ratematching for the retransmission comprises puncturing the first pluralityof systematic bits.

As another example, determining module 1410 may puncture the firstplurality of systematic bits by omitting to write the first plurality ofsystematic bits into a circular buffer. As another example, determiningmodule 1410 may puncture the first plurality of systematic bits byskipping the first plurality of systematic bits when reading the codedbits from a circular buffer.

As another example, determining module 1410 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector by readingthe systematic bits and the parity bits out of a circular buffer toproduce the transmission vector for transmission over a wirelesschannel. In reading the systematic bits and the parity bits out of thecircular buffer to produce the transmission vector for transmission overthe wireless channel, determining module 1410 may, if a number of bitsof the transmission vector is larger than the total number of bits inthe circular buffer, repeat one or more bits in the circular buffer bywrapping around.

As another example, determining module 1410 may puncture a subset of thesystematic bits written into the circular buffer in a first transmissionover the wireless channel, and include the subset of the systematic bitsthat were punctured in a retransmission over the wireless channel.Determining module 1410 may puncture bits column-wise such that bits arepunctured evenly from each of a plurality of rows and a weightdistribution of the parity check matrix is maintained in the circularbuffer.

As another example, determining module 1410 may read out the systematicbits and the parity bits so that a channel interleaver is implemented aspart of performing circular buffer-based rate matching on the generatedcodeword vector. As another example, determining module 1410 may readout the systematic bits and the parity bits such that no channelinterleaving effect is implemented.

As another example, determining module 1410 may perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector by writingat least a portion of the systematic bits and the parity bits as definedby the parity check matrix into a rectangular circular buffer, therectangular circular buffer comprising one or more rows and one or morecolumns.

Determining module 1410 may include or be included in one or moreprocessors, such as processing circuitry 1120 described above inrelation to FIG. 11. Determining module 1410 may include analog and/ordigital circuitry configured to perform any of the functions ofdetermining module 1410 and/or processing circuitry 1120 describedabove. The functions of determining module 1410 may, in certainembodiments, be performed in one or more distinct modules.

Communication module 1420 may perform the transmission functions ofnetwork node 115. Communication module 1420 may transmit messages to oneor more of wireless devices 110. Communication module 1420 may include atransmitter and/or a transceiver, such as transceiver 1110 describedabove in relation to FIG. 11. Communication module 1420 may includecircuitry configured to wirelessly transmit messages and/or signals. Inparticular embodiments, communication module 1420 may receive messagesand/or signals for transmission from determining module 1410 or anyother module. The functions of communication module 1420 may, in certainembodiments, be performed in one or more distinct modules.

Receiving module 1430 may perform the receiving functions of networknode 115. Receiving module 1430 may receive any suitable informationfrom a wireless device. Receiving module 1430 may include a receiverand/or a transceiver, such as transceiver 1110 described above inrelation to FIG. 11. Receiving module 1430 may include circuitryconfigured to wirelessly receive messages and/or signals. In particularembodiments, receiving module 1430 may communicate received messagesand/or signals to determining module 1410 or any other suitable module.The functions of receiving module 1430 may, in certain embodiments, beperformed in one or more distinct modules.

Determining module 1410, communication module 1420, and receiving module1430 may include any suitable configuration of hardware and/or software.Network node 115 may include additional modules beyond those shown inFIG. 14 that may be responsible for providing any suitablefunctionality, including any of the functionality described above and/orany additional functionality (including any functionality necessary tosupport the various solutions described herein).

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems andapparatuses described herein without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. The components of the systems and apparatuses may beintegrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems andapparatuses may be performed by more, fewer, or other components.Additionally, operations of the systems and apparatuses may be performedusing any suitable logic comprising software, hardware, and/or otherlogic. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a setor each member of a subset of a set.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the methodsdescribed herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Themethods may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps maybe performed in any suitable order.

Although this disclosure has been described in terms of certainembodiments, alterations and permutations of the embodiments will beapparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above descriptionof the embodiments does not constrain this disclosure. Other changes,substitutions, and alterations are possible without departing from thespirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.

Abbreviations used in the preceding description include:

AP Access Point

BS Base Station

BSC Base Station Controller

BTS Base Transceiver Station

CPE Customer Premises Equipment

D2D Device-to-device

DAS Distributed Antenna System

DL Downlink

eNB evolved Node B

FDD Frequency Division Duplex

LAN Local Area Network

LEE Laptop Embedded Equipment

LME Laptop Mounted Equipment

LDPC Low-density parity-check

LTE Long Term Evolution

M2M Machine-to-Machine

MAN Metropolitan Area Network

MCE Multi-cell/multicast Coordination Entity

NAS Non-Access Stratum

OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

PCM Parity-Check Matrix

PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

PRB Physical Resource Block

PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network

PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

QC Quasi-Cyclic

RB Resource Block

RNC Radio Network Controller

RRC Radio Resource Control

RRH Remote Radio Head

RRU Remote Radio Unit

TBS Transport block size

TDD Time Division Duplex

TFRE Time Frequency Resource Element

UE User Equipment

UL Uplink

WAN Wide Area Network

1. A method of producing a set of coded bits from a set of informationbits for transmission between a first node and a second node in awireless communications system, the method comprising: generating acodeword vector by encoding the set of information bits with alow-density parity-check code, wherein the codeword vector is composedof systematic bits and parity bits; and performing circular buffer-basedrate matching on the generated codeword vector to produce the coded bitsfor transmission, wherein the circular buffer-based rate matchingcomprises puncturing a first plurality of systematic bits.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the low-density parity-check code is specifiedthrough a parity check matrix.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst plurality of systematic bits that are punctured precedes, in thecodeword vector, a second plurality of systematic bits that are notpunctured.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of redundancyversions are defined over the circular buffer such that coded bits for aretransmission are read from the circular buffer according to acorresponding redundancy version defined for the retransmission.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising performing circular buffer-basedrate matching on the generated codeword vector to produce coded bits forthe retransmission, wherein the circular buffer-based rate matching forthe retransmission comprises puncturing the first plurality ofsystematic bits.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first pluralityof systematic bits punctured for the retransmission includes an evenmultiple of Z systematic bits, where Z is a lifting factor of the paritycheck matrix.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein puncturing the firstplurality of systematic bits comprises omitting to write the firstplurality of systematic bits into a circular buffer.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein puncturing the first plurality of systematic bitscomprises skipping the first plurality of systematic bits when readingthe coded bits from a circular buffer.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe first plurality of punctured systematic bits includes an evenmultiple of Z systematic bits, where Z is a lifting factor of the paritycheck matrix.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector comprises:reading the systematic bits and the parity bits out of a circular bufferto produce the transmission vector for transmission over a wirelesschannel.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein reading the systematic bitsand the parity bits out of the circular buffer to produce thetransmission vector for transmission over the wireless channelcomprises: if a number of bits of the transmission vector is larger thanthe total number of bits in the circular buffer, repeating one or morebits in the circular buffer by wrapping around.
 12. The method of claim1, wherein generating the codeword vector by encoding the set ofinformation bits comprises: attaching dummy bits to the set ofinformation bits, the dummy bits comprising bits of known value, toproduce an information vector; and encoding the information vector. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the attached dummy bits comprise asecond plurality of systematic bits that is separate from the puncturedfirst plurality of systematic bits.
 14. The method of claim 13,comprising puncturing the attached dummy bits.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein puncturing the attached dummy bits comprises omitting towrite the attached dummy bits into the circular buffer.
 16. The methodof claim 14, wherein puncturing the attached dummy bits comprisesskipping the attached dummy bits when reading the coded bits from thecircular buffer.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein a subset of thesystematic bits are omitted from being written into the circular buffer.18. The method of claim 1, comprising: puncturing a subset of thesystematic bits written into the circular buffer in a first transmissionover the wireless channel; and including the subset of the systematicbits that were punctured in a retransmission over the wireless channel.19. The method of claim 1, comprising: puncturing bits column-wise suchthat bits are punctured evenly from each of a plurality of rows and aweight distribution of the parity check matrix is maintained in thecircular buffer.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the punctured bitsare systematic bits other than the first plurality of systematic bits.21. The method of claim 1, wherein the systematic bits and the paritybits are read out so that a channel interleaver is implemented as partof performing circular buffer-based rate matching on the generatedcodeword vector.
 22. The method of claim 1, wherein the punctured bitshave a higher column weight than non-punctured bits.
 23. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the systematic bits and the parity bits are read outsuch that no channel interleaving effect is implemented.
 24. The methodof claim 1, wherein a subset of the parity bits are omitted from beingwritten into the circular buffer.
 25. The method of claim 1, whereinperforming circular buffer-based rate matching on the generated codewordvector comprises: writing at least a portion of the systematic bits andthe parity bits as defined by a parity check matrix into a rectangularcircular buffer, the rectangular circular buffer comprising one or morerows and one or more columns.
 26. The method of claim 1, wherein thewireless communications system comprises a new radio system.
 27. A firstnode for producing a set of coded bits from a set of information bitsfor transmission to a second node in a wireless communications system,the first node comprising: processing circuitry, the processingcircuitry configured to: generate a codeword vector by encoding the setof information bits with a low-density parity-check code, wherein thecodeword vector is composed of systematic bits and parity bits; andperform circular buffer-based rate matching on the generated codewordvector to produce the coded bits for transmission, wherein the circularbuffer-based rate matching comprises puncturing a first plurality ofsystematic bits.
 28. The first node of claim 27, wherein the low-densityparity-check code is specified through a parity check matrix.
 29. Thefirst node of claim 27, wherein the first plurality of systematic bitsthat are punctured precedes, in the codeword vector, a second pluralityof systematic bits that are not punctured.
 30. The first node of claim27, wherein a plurality of redundancy versions are defined over thecircular buffer such that coded bits for a retransmission are read fromthe circular buffer according to a corresponding redundancy versiondefined for the retransmission.
 31. The first node of claim 30, whereinthe processing circuitry is further configured to perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector to producecoded bits for the retransmission, wherein the circular buffer-basedrate matching for the retransmission comprises puncturing the firstplurality of systematic bits.
 32. The first node of claim 31, whereinthe first plurality of systematic bits punctured for the retransmissionincludes an even multiple of Z systematic bits, where Z is a liftingfactor of the parity check matrix.
 33. The first node of claim 27,wherein the processing circuitry configured to puncture the firstplurality of systematic bits comprises processing circuitry configuredto omit writing the first plurality of systematic bits into a circularbuffer.
 34. The first node of claim 27, wherein the processing circuitryconfigured to puncture the first plurality of systematic bits comprisesprocessing circuitry configured to skip the first plurality ofsystematic bits when reading the coded bits from a circular buffer. 35.The first node of claim 27, wherein the first plurality of puncturedsystematic bits includes an even multiple of Z systematic bits, where Zis a lifting factor of the parity check matrix.
 36. The first node ofclaim 27, wherein the processing circuitry configured to performcircular buffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vectorcomprises processing circuitry configured to: read the systematic bitsand the parity bits out of a circular buffer to produce the transmissionvector for transmission over a wireless channel.
 37. The first node ofclaim 36, wherein the processing circuitry configured to read thesystematic bits and the parity bits out of the circular buffer toproduce the transmission vector for transmission over the wirelesschannel comprises processing circuitry configured to: if a number ofbits of the transmission vector is larger than the total number of bitsin the circular buffer, repeat one or more bits in the circular bufferby wrapping around.
 38. The first node of claim 27, wherein theprocessing circuitry configured to generate the codeword vector byencoding the set of information bits comprises processing circuitryconfigured to: attach dummy bits to the set of information bits, thedummy bits comprising bits of known value, to produce an informationvector; and encode the information vector.
 39. The first node of claim38, wherein the attached dummy bits comprise a second plurality ofsystematic bits that is separate from the punctured first plurality ofsystematic bits.
 40. The first node of claim 39, wherein the processingcircuitry is further configured to puncture the attached dummy bits. 41.The first node of claim 40, wherein the processing circuitry configuredto puncture the attached dummy bits comprises processing circuitryconfigured to omit writing the attached dummy bits into the circularbuffer.
 42. The first node of claim 40, wherein the processing circuitryconfigured to puncture the attached dummy bits comprises processingcircuitry configured to skip the attached dummy bits when reading thecoded bits from the circular buffer.
 43. The first node of claim 27,wherein a subset of the systematic bits are omitted from being writteninto the circular buffer.
 44. The first node of claim 27, wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to: puncture a subset of thesystematic bits written into the circular buffer in a first transmissionover the wireless channel; and include the subset of the systematic bitsthat were punctured in a retransmission over the wireless channel. 45.The first node of claim 27, wherein the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to: puncture bits column-wise such that bits are puncturedevenly from each of a plurality of rows and a weight distribution of theparity check matrix is maintained in the circular buffer.
 46. The firstnode of claim 45, wherein the punctured bits are systematic bits otherthan the first plurality of systematic bits.
 47. The first node of claim27, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to read out thesystematic bits and the parity bits so that a channel interleaver isimplemented as part of performing circular buffer-based rate matching onthe generated codeword vector.
 48. The first node of claim 27, whereinthe punctured bits have a higher column weight than non-punctured bits.49. The first node of claim 27, wherein the processing circuitry isconfigured to read out the systematic bits and the parity bits such thatno channel interleaving effect is implemented.
 50. The first node ofclaim 27, wherein a subset of the parity bits are omitted from beingwritten into the circular buffer.
 51. The first node of claim 27,wherein the processing circuitry configured to perform circularbuffer-based rate matching on the generated codeword vector comprisesprocessing circuitry configured to: write at least a portion of thesystematic bits and the parity bits as defined by a parity check matrixinto a rectangular circular buffer, the rectangular circular buffercomprising one or more rows and one or more columns.
 52. The first nodeof claim 27, wherein the wireless communications system comprises a newradio system.